Howard's release, the D-line rotation
When the Eagles went down, 34-14, in the first round of the playoffs to Dallas last season, nine defensive linemen saw the field for the Birds.
Howard's release, the D-line rotation
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
When the Eagles went down, 34-14, in the first round of the playoffs to Dallas last season, nine defensive linemen saw the field for the Birds.
That was the case for much of the year as Sean McDermott, in his first season as Eagles defensive coordinator, shuffled players in and out depending on the situation.
The base defense was consistent along the front four. From left to right: Juqua Parker, Mike Patterson, Brodrick Bunkley and Trent Cole.
But in passing situations, Jason Babin, Darren Howard, Victor Abiamiri and Chris Clemons all rotated in.
And Antonio Dixon spelled Bunkley and/or Patterson in other situations as well.
Looking ahead to next season, three of the nine will be gone. Babin appears poised to join the Titans. Clemons was dealt to Seattle. And the team released Howard yesterday.
In terms of number of snaps, Howard saw the most playing time of the three. In the playoff game, for example, he was on the field for 32 plays (Babin - 19; Clemons - 18). In Week 17, Howard played 23 snaps (Babin - 17; Clemons - 9).
In terms of performance, it was an up and down year for Howard. He started off with a tremendous game against the Panthers, but then really wasn't much of a factor again until Week 13 against Atlanta. And I'm not just talking sacks, but overall pressure on the quarterback. He put together a pretty good stretch towards the end of the season, but was a complete non-factor in Week 17 and the playoff loss.
Was Howard alone in that respect? Of course not. He was one of many Eagles defenders who had trouble getting to Tony Romo.
So a couple questions come into focus with the change of personnel we've seen in the last week:
Number one, will McDermott continue to go with such a big rotation? If I had to guess, I would say yes. Mike Patterson and Brodrick Bunkley are both very good players against the run, but neither showed the ability to get after the quarterback last season.
Which leads us to number two - who will take the place of Howard, Clemons and Babin? Newly acquired Darryl Tapp told reporters yesterday that he expects to start opposite Cole at left defensive end. That puts Parker in the rotation. And Abiamiri figures to play a part also. His role last year was similar to Howard's, although Abiamiri needs to show improvement in his fourth season.
Beyond that, you'd have to think an early draft pick has a chance to be the guy that fills in on the interior in passing situations. The team liked Dixon enough to play him over Trevor Laws. But he's not the pass-rushing presence they need.
Laws, meanwhile, couldn't even get on the field, and it's questionable whether the former second-round pick has much of a future with the team as he enters his third season.
Who else is left? Parker will play a role. We forget that Julius Peppers had just 2.5 more sacks than him last season. And of course, there's the constant question of: Can Chris Gocong be more of a factor as a pass rusher?
These are the issues that will need to be addressed in the coming months and all the way into August at Lehigh. By all accounts, the starting four will be Tapp, Patterson, Bunkley and Cole. Whether that is an upgrade over last season remains to be seen.
But the Eagles still need to find a pass-rushing presence who can play on the inside. Keep that in mind as you take a look at all the draft stuff out there over the next five weeks.
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This is a very deep draft class, and the Eagles have so many needs that they can stay put and get a quality blue chip player that will fill a need without reaching. The only move that would be acceptable for me would be to move up, and only for a player who is worth it. The safety Earl Thomas or the LB Sean Whitherspoon are two players I would consider moving up to get. Otherwise, stay put. There are still free agents out there worth signing, but the Eagles strategy seems to be to wait until after the draft to see what free agents they will sign. I think Joey Porter could have helped the Eagles, he's not playing at as high a level as he used to, but he would instantly bring and edge to this defense, which is soft and doesn't hit or tackle well.
Having watched Tapp for years, both at Virginia Tech and then again in Seattle, I think Eagles fans will be pleasantly surprised. While a pass rush is a big help, the Eagles need more DBs and LBs to cover on third downs against slant and other short routes to get off of the field.— Jeff_Pasquino- The Gocong experiment is a disaster and a waste of everyone's time. The Eagles should have rolled out the cash for a Karlos Dansby. Heck, even Scott Fujita would have helped this defense.— Shenkman3
- bboy, I know, deep breaths. I'vd gone from boiling to simmering, and that post was right after an EXCRUCIATING meeting at work. UGH!— The Reddgie
Gocong will be dealt for a 4th round pick.— ICDogg
deep breaths there reddg. it happens to the best of us bro…— bboybeballin- WTF philly.com, is my post too damn intelligent to put up?— The Reddgie
- It only stands to reason that they will draft from the D-Line backwards to the secondary. My thought would be to get the top safety available (as long as he graded out no worse than third in the draft) first, then go to the D-Line with the second pick, and Cornerback with the third selection. After that, just go for best available player.— TBear
- first eagles team in a long, long time that has major questions across both lines.— jb99
- Everyone knows that AR is going to trade that 1st for a 2nd this year and a 3rd next year. Why even debate who the eagles will take? Add a 5th rounder for Vick and hopefully another 2nd for McNabb and they have a shot at a good draft. Every team needs a down year now and then and I have no problem with that if it means setting up for another 10 with a shot.— jcu123
- Post my post!— The Reddgie
- Relax its March. Season doesn't start till August. Lots of time to acquire other players to replace these bums. Don't break your ankles jumping off the bandwagon just yet. Lots more moves to make. Just clearing deadweight to resign the young studs and have lots of money for next year's unbelievably good free agent class. And the eagles will have 8 picks by the time the draft starts.— phillydopes
- Here is the deal, the Eagles are reloading right now. They are going to have an average season next year and come on strong after that (if there is no lock out). They have pretty much cut everyone who was earning a pay check and not contributing, which I like....but we cant expect them to get 2-3 stand out rookies in this draft and be a super bowl team. They need a starting center, back up running back, a starting DE, and starting LB and a starting S. That is 4 possitions they need starters for and the chances of filling all those holes is pretty slim. Everyone just needs to have patience with this team because instead of rebuilding and going through a few years of mediocraty, they are retooling and staying competitive while they get younger.— traugdog420
- Maybe Heckert will take Laws and Gocong for Rogers...since both of them will probably be sitting on the bench for us— jss31
- We need two Linebackers, a DE, DT, a Safty, and we could use one more corner.— ChrisM
- I check this site everyday for the release of the Fat Mans Dumbest and most Irrevelant Draft pick ever........ Klob #4, I know it will come one day.... Thanks Andy, we didnt need a player that would contribute and actually help this team from that draft.....— DonovanistheEaglesallTimeGreatestPlayer
- OverExposed>>>Shaun Rogers is the backbone of Cleveland's defensive line. Are you imagining that Heckert gives up Rogers for a current Eagle player in a trade? Cleveland looks set at QB with recent adds. Eagles are slim of draft choices to give. I don't see a deal. Explain— Smashmouth
- tpizza, they only have 6 picks right now, 1st, 2nd, two 3rds, 4th, 5th I think is the way it breaks down. Needs are S, DE, LB, OL, RB, and starters and depth at all of them except rb. So if Tapp fills DE, which is a maybe, and Marlin helps in dbackfield somehow, someway, which is a maybe, and Bell shores up RB, you still have OL and LB, and probably still DE with immediate needs. With only six picks, he's going to miss on at least one or two of them, it's too many holes for AR to land immediate impacters and still get depth.— Bleue
Lots of holes in the team, Reddgie. AR is cutting the fat but really hasn't cut anyone who had an impact last year which is fine. They do have to replace those players though and if AR doesn't have a good draft with players that can provide immediate help it's going to be a long year. Do you have faith AR can do that?— tpizza- The Eagles are sooo smart I bet they can turn Gocong into a DE....again.— CitizenDick
- This is all a setup for something big about to happen soon........Just watch.— rtaylor1220
- Defensively, the McDermott led 2009 Eagles had more take aways than their 2008 counterparts under Jim Johnson. However, Cowboys were able to run over the Eagles and that opened up the passing game. Saints and Giants were able to pass and run against 2009 Eagles. Defensive plans, adjustment sand calls have to be part of the equation; not just personnel.— Smashmouth
- Get ready for 6-10 season all while Lurie and Banner continue to say they are committed to winning. The only thing they are committed to is putting money away as they get ready for the strike. Birds will crank up the PR machine and promote Tapp as a rising star but he will be a non factor and will be gone in 2 years just like Clemmons— fthebirds
- Good point OverExposed... I really hope they get help on the interior line to put pressure on the QB... If this defense does not improve.. we will get smoked by Dallas again especially with McNab and company!!— nixman101
- The Reddgie, if you're looking for pass rush up the middle, McCoy might actually be the better pick, not slighting the kid named Suh, but the title game aside, McCoy gets more sacks, Suh gets more batted passes, double teams and run stops. Admittedly, they are both upgrades over our current roster, who are all decent run stoppers, but no disruption to opposing QB's anymore. There might be a third guy in the draft that could help too, but I think he's more of a 3-4 nosetackle, but ultimately, the Birds need help on all 3 tiers of defense, and an above average LB to team up with Stew for the next few years would be filling a hole we have had every year for quite awhile.— Bleue
- I would love for the Eagles to make a play for Shaun Rodgers because he is available by most accounts. HE would be a HUGE upgrade at DT and that is probably their most needed upgrade according to appyling pressure to QB. REID has had no luck or vision drafting DL.This will make the CB and DB jobs so much easier. Eagles Defense relys heavily on pressure because most of our defenders just look average without constant pressure on QB. MY 2 Cents!!
- What the cutting of Howard and Curtis (and even Westbrook) represent is a cost-cutting measure on the Eagles' part. I'm not calling them cheap, but they were all replacement-level players getting paid above replacement level costs. In other words, they'd all become warm bodies, and warm bodies can be had elsewhere for cheaper.— vinni
- Every single pick in the first four rounds should be on the defensive side of the ball. They lack size and talent. Offensive line help can be had thru FA.— beegal99
- Sheil, the first line of the last paragraph is DEAD ON! I like Patty and Bunk, but look at what Ratliff in DAL does against the interior of our line and how it disrupts the entire offense. When he gets pressure, Ware and Spears become that much harder to block on the outside. I still maintain that making a move to get Suh or McCoy would be worth the cost (both in what we give up to get in a position to draft one and the subsequent contract that will be given out), as it would set up our defense for the next 10 years. When our D gets pressure from the DT position, everything else clicks. Patty and Bunk just are not guys who will collapse the pocket from the inside.— The Reddgie
- We all know how this is going to shake out; AR goes OL in the 1st round and we still have protection issues next year, spends the next three rounds of picks on defense, all under the radar players, some Div II or Div III "diamonds in the rough", that never seem to live up to the billing, the rest of the offseason mulling over the picks on boards like this all to culminate in a teaser season, which is both good and bad.— Bleue
Comment removed.- Make Gocong a DE, I think he is capable of doing that. He has a high motor as Cole.— tonygreeneagle5
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